The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology was designed collaboratively by architects Wilson Eyre, Jr., Frank Miles Day, and Cope and Stewardson from 1895-1926. The original design for the Roman-inspired, eclectic museum included three wings extending from the main Museum building to the street, the easternmost wing never being realized. In 1996, the Museum commissioned Atkin, Olshin, Lawson-Bell Architects to design a state-of-the-art collections storage and study wing that would be sited on the space where the east wing had been intended. Seizing the opportunity to improve the adjacent courtyard, Atkin, Olshin, Lawson-Bell retained Olin Partnership to collaborate on the design for the garden.

Shown here: An aerial view of a model of the Stoner Courtyard garden.


Originally intended as a carriage drive from South Street to the main entrance of the building, the east courtyard eventually became dominated by vehicular traffic and parking. The restoration and improvements realized for the Stoner Courtyard garden reflect both the historical use of the Courtyard as a carriage drive and the desire to restore and to reclaim an underutilized garden as a significant open space for the Museum and the entire University community. The first step in the process was reclaiming the Courtyard garden for the pedestrian by removing vehicular traffic and reinforcing the Courtyard as a vibrant public space conducive to talking, walking, gathering, eating, sitting and reflection.

The original courtyard materials had weathered and required replacement; paving had settled and needed resetting, trees needed pruning or removal, surfaces required cleaning, and the front door of the Museum needed to be made accessible. In accommodating gracious accessibility, the entire courtyard was gently sloped up to the level of the front door, eliminating the need for stairs. The previous cartway became the "piazza" or public square. The existing Deer Isle granite curbs were reset and new garden curbs to match were installed around the Arcadia Fountain. The existing granite setts were reused by resetting the original fishscale pattern using traditional hand set methods. The brick detailing was inspired by the existing detailing of the site and building. Rich reddish-brown machine molded bricks in the same color range as the buildings were set in a herringbone pattern around the Arcadia Fountain, reading rooms, and pathways.

The courtyard is framed and enclosed by an impressive setting: the original, exquisitely detailed brick building, walls, piers; stone figures such as "America" and "Europe" by Alexander Calder, Sr.; metal gates by Samuel Yellin; and the new Mainwaring Wing. The new pedestrian light standards with custom lanterns were inspired by Yellin's torcherres and fabricated locally. The central garden features the Arcadia Fountain, both a restoration of the existing basin and a new elegant marble bowl adds new prominence to the heart of the courtyard. The bowl is of Royal Danby marble from Vermont and will have an exuberant water display. This more open and public part of the garden contains ample seating, and is defined by four large Japanese cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica 'Yoshino') evergreen trees, creating an all-season structural presence. Secluded, smaller scale "reading" rooms, containing curved benches, are sited within the garden periphery.

The Courtyard planting is reflective of the eclectic world collections housed within the Museum. The garden is seen as an extension of the Museum, an outdoor room mirroring the diversity displayed and exhibited on the inside. Plants native to Asia, Europe, and North America are found in the garden. Deciduous canopy trees planted symmetrically provide structure to the garden by flanking the entries. These trees include Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioica), katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica). A low, evergreen hedge lines the edges, framing the diverse mosaic of plantings within; some of which include Japanese snowbells (Styrax obassia) and witch hazels (Hamamelis virginiana) whose delicate branching characteristics form an arching canopy along the curb edge. A Franklinia tree (Franklinia alatamaha) was planted in honor of University of Pennsylvania's founder Benjamin Franklin. John Bartram, a botanist from Philadelphia, discovered this tree in Georgia in one of his plant expeditions and named it after his friend. The bronze exfoliating bark of oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) and paperbark maples (Acer griseum) offers winter interest and glow on a sunny day. A diverse carpet of ferns, grasses, and groundcovers were planted within the perimeter plant beds. The Stoner Courtyard garden is a lush, elegantly detailed peaceful garden that will enrich the quality of open space on campus.

--Olin Partnership, landscape architects and urban design

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